Cathryne P. Lang

Drug driving from a user's perspective

The bulk of research into drug driving in Australia has been undertaken from a road safety orientation where drug driving is viewed within the broader context of road safety and driver behaviour. Such a specific focus precludes the broader behavioural, contextual and cultural issues associated with substance use. This study aimed to address this issue by focusing on drug driving behaviour within the context of illicit substance use. A series of focused interviews were conducted with 211 illicit drug users from urban and regional centres. A consistent theme identified in the interviews was that drug driving was not necessarily viewed as risky behaviour but rather as an outcome of illicit substance use. Further, some interviewees saw their drug use as enhancing their driving skills and frequently the motor vehicle was viewed as a safe place to use. Overall there was agreement among interviewees that the likelihood of being apprehended for drug driving by police was minimal; this perception was reinforced by past experience. The lack of concern for detection of drug driving behaviour suggests that research should continue into the development and implementation of enforcement programs and roadside detection.

The Threat of Hepatitis C as an Influence on Injecting Amphetamine Users' Change towards Non-Injecting.

ABSTRACT Young injecting drug users are a particularly vulnerable group for Hepatitis C (HCV) infection. One method for minimising the risk of contraction of Hepatitis C for amphetamine users (not widely explored in the research to date) is through encouraging non-injecting routes of administration (NIROA). Self-report data from 150 young injecting amphetamine users was analysed to investigate the influence of Hepatitis C threat on the decision to cease injecting and the worth of promoting the use of NIROA. Application of the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change and the Expanded Health Belief Model showed that threat of Hepatitis C was not perceived as reason to cease injecting at any stage in the injecting career. Cessation was a result of personal choice, rather than response to any type of threat. This supports the promotion of harm reduction rather than abstinence campaigns. Furthermore, the deficits in knowledge of Hepatitis C threat are worthy of campaign attention.